Country lead guitar, with the classic twang, bluesy notes, and rocking feel, is not as difficult to get into as you may think. If you've already learned your scales, particularly blues scales, there are only a few subtle changes you need to make to adapt your solos from a straight rock and roll sound into something a bit more country.

Steps

Method1

Mixing and Matching Country Scales

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Mix and match your major and minor pentatonic scales, all in the same key, for the subtle country sound. The pentatonic scales, which remove the 2nd and 5th notes from normal major and minor scales, is tailor-made for the speed and rocking sound found in most forms of popular music. Review these two scales to the point where you can play them up and down, individually, with ease. You'll get to blending later.

Use both scales simultaneously for the country/western sound. If you're in the key of A, you want both the A-major pentatonic and the A-minor pentatonic, as the combination leads to country's unique, blues-inspired sound. While the rest of the article concerns how to transition quickly, you should practice on your own with your favorite country song -- how can you use them to get the sound you want?

Use your "minor thirds" to transition from one scale to the other. This is easiest to see on the 1st string, 8th fret-- the last note of the A-minor pentatonic scale. The next fret after, the 9th, is the exact same note as the 4th note of the major scale -- providing a great transition point. Bending or sliding into it from either direction is a good way to shift into the other scale. You can also play the identical fret on the low-E (6th) string as well to help transition.

These bends like to "resolve" on the root note, meaning they finish on the nearest A (for example, the 1st string, 5th fret).

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Use mixed notes, like the minor third, to transition between scales. Use the example in the video above to see this in action. Any notes where the scales overlap, or can be bent or slid into a note in the opposite scale, are fair game. It is these transition-like notes, when used sparingly, that give the country sound.[2]

Method2

Using "Country Notes" and Techniques

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Bend the 2nd note of your scale up to the 3rd. Even if you're unsure of music theory, this is less complex than it seems. All you do is take the second note in your pentatonic scale and bend it up a full-step. If you can match it with another note, holding the other string in place as you bend the 2nd note.

Stick to the "relative blues scale" for an instantly country sound. For somewhat complex musical theory quirks, you can play a minor blues scale three frets away from your root note and still sound in key. For example, in the key of A-major, which starts on the 5th fret, you can also play the F# Minor Blues Scale, which starts on the 2nd fret.

Focus on your blue notes, bolded above, to slide back and forth to your major scale. The flat fifth of the minor pentatonic blues scale (the note right between the 3rd and 4th notes of the scale) is your minor third, and can be used to get right back into the major pentatonic.[4]

In fact, the furthest note to the right of your pentatonic scale, on every string, is the first note of the associated major scale.

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Experiment with blues scales over the major chords in the background. Now that you know how to navigate the scales, hitting your flat 5ths, bending your 2nd notes into 3rds, and sliding around minor thirds, you can stick to a simple blues scale. As the chords change, change with them -- moving to A-minor pentatonic over A-major chords, then to an E-minor pentatonic for an E-major chord, etc. There is no "right" way to play country guitar -- so just keep practicing.